Meet Christie

My Story

This work began from my own journey in healing from childhood trauma.

Throughout my teen and young adult years, I found myself in unhealthy relationships fueled by codependency and reactive trauma that not only hurt me, but deeply impacted my partners. It was a self-sabotaging cycle that rubbed my abandonment wounds raw. I became anxious, depressed, and suicidal.

For years I wondered if I was too defective to be loved. Deep down I felt this deep longing for connection, but it seemed like my trauma would not release its grip on me. My trauma and shame would predictably show up to sabotage my relationships no matter how hard I tried to perform "the right way" in my relationships.

Rather than listening and responding to my trauma, I tried to silence and suppress it. All along, I was abandoning myself in the process.

When I met my now husband during my Clinical Mental Health graduate program, it became clear that my codependent ways of being in relationship would not serve me or the relationship. I began to dive deep into this work. I began attending ACA twelve step groups, seeing a trauma therapist who taught my body and mind to experience a whole new level of safety, and began to process the ways my survival skills from my trauma not only sabotaged my relationships, but deeply wounded myself and my partners. 

In full transparency, this is not a linear process. It is tough work, but each time we revisit a wound, we are brought to a deeper level of healing.

Do I still experience triggers? Yes.

Do I feel powerless amidst them? No.

Do my partner and I grow closer after repairing from a triggering situation? Absolutely.

My healing journey has allowed me to experience my triggers as messages from the wounded part of me saying, "hey, I'm hurting, please hold me."

Rather than abandoning myself, I can turn to that wounded part of myself and give it the compassion and love it craves.

I can experience my husband as my partner rather than the sole person responsible for helping me feel lovable.

Experiencing this kind of freedom and love in my life has filled me with a deep desire to bring this to others. Everyone--no matter how much trauma they have experienced--is worthy of love.

I see so many clients in my therapy office feel stuck because of the trauma of growing up in a dysfunctional family.

I created Relational Healing Co. out of a desire to give people like you a way to get unstuck--to not let the past define your future or your relationships.

You are not alone, and you do not have to walk this healing journey alone. Love is not just reserved for the un-traumatized of this world.

 Thriving Like a Juniper

Have you ever had a moment that changed the trajectory of your life forever? My encounter with a juniper tree was one of those.

The Juniper Framework was born out of this pivotal moment.

In one of my darkest seasons, I found myself on a hike in Southern Utah, where I encountered a juniper tree for the first time. 

I was struck by this tree's ability to survive for hundreds of years in such a harsh environment.

 How does it do it? By directing nourishment to one part of the tree so that the other can live. In the process, the tree begins to fall, but it continues to twist up toward the sun and not only survive, but thrive by producing juniper berries known for their healing properties.

Learning From the Juniper Tree

Juniper trees have taught me so much about what it looks like to thrive within seasons that seem hopeless:

✔️ Getting clear on what you are rooted in--understanding your roots

✔️ Directing your emotional and relational resources intentionally, and committing to the risk that comes with trying the new thing--the healing thing

✔️ Transforming the survival skills learned from your childhood trauma into healing gifts to you and your relationship.

Like the juniper berries that produce healing berries, I have found that this healing work transforms our trauma to become catalysts for healing and deep connection within our relationships. This is the Juniper Framework.